Miami , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress , to reduce pressure on his burned body . He is covered with bandages ; a ventilator breathes for Michael Brewer because he ca n't do it for himself .

He 's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again .

Sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second - and third-degree burns .

`` People are writing horror stories ... but people just ca n't imagine the kind of sickness we 're talking about , '' said Dr. Nicholas Namias , medical director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami .

`` I 've been to movies like everyone else , and Hollywood has n't even thought of something like this , '' Namias said .

Brewer is heavily sedated , and the ventilator does not allow him to speak . His open wounds are covered by bandages , which are changed daily . It 's a four-hour process .

He has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began October 12 , when police say five teenage friends , including a 13-year-old , doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire .

The attack occurred after Brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father 's bicycle . Police say the bicycle was stolen because Brewer did not pay one of the boys $ 40 for a video game .

According to police , witnesses said the teens called Brewer `` a snitch '' as they used a lighter to set him ablaze .

Namias explained how Brewer 's organs are not functioning the way they should be , but that is expected at this early stage of recovery .

`` He 's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation . We are breathing for him . His contribution to the breathing is trivial , '' Namias said .

Namias also explained that in burn cases , words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly .

`` When you say he 's doing OK , in this situation it means he 's alive and responding to treatments , '' Namias said . `` We 're still dealing with the respiratory failure . We 're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive . ''

On Monday , the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in Broward County , Florida .

State prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case . Formal charges are expected later this month . For now , all five teens are being held in custody .

Four of the boys , all 15 years old , could be charged as adults . The 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under Florida law only if Brewer dies .

Michael Brewer 's parents , Valerie and Michael Brewer Sr. , issued a written statement through the hospital last week . They are not granting interviews .

`` The recovery process will be baby steps , but eventually he will be whole again , '' they wrote .

But their son 's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee .

`` There 's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn , '' Namias said .

`` Surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do . This is not like a gunshot and you come out of the -LSB- operating room -RSB- , and say everything 's going to be OK , '' he added .

`` We never give up , and we never predict it . ... Our expectation is survival . ''

Across the hospital floor in the burn unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital , six other people 's lives also are at stake : all victims of various accidents , all with burns similar to Michael Brewer 's . They , too , are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have .

`` It 's understandable that people can be burned in accidents , '' Namias said .

`` But this was no accident . This did n't have to happen at all . ''

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Police say teens doused Michael Brewer , 15 , with rubbing alcohol and set him ablaze

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Attack came after Brewer reported that one boy had stolen his father 's bicycle

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65 percent of Brewer 's body is covered in second - , third-degree burns

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Teen suspects appeared before judges Monday in Florida